Hi it’s Denita from HattieLu Handmade. Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful Fall weather gradually making its way into the Northern Hemisphere. This is my favorite time of year! Today, I’m reviewing Rocket Bottoms Toddler/XXL Fitted Diaper. This is my first time sewing a diaper or a Rocket Bottoms pattern so this should be an interesting journey for all of us! The birth of my twins turned me into a crunchy mama. It was all about cost for us and cloth diapers were an excellent way to help achieve this goal with three youngsters in diapers.

I realize that many disposable diaper mamas wince at the thought of cloth diapering; however, it’s a completely different mindset today. Don’t think about the diapers you wore as a kid (or your mom wore); think high tech, new revolution diapers! Gone are the days of safety pins, flour sack squares, and plastic underpants. The biggest plus to cloth diapering is the impact your family can have on the environment. You’re not adding to a landfill by cloth diapering. The Rocket Bottoms Toddler/XXL Fitted is perfect for babies with chunkier legs (20 lbs.) and older children (55 to 65 lbs).

The Toddler/XXL Fitted Diaper pattern can be made into Fitted, AI2, or Hybrid Fitted. It can also be turned and stitched, folded tabs, or serged. There are pluses and minuses to each option. I think the option you choose is by what you’d be most comfortable with doing. There are three rise options: Fold down, Snap down, and Fold over. With the Fold over rise there aren't a bunch of snaps on the front of the diapers. But the downfall to that, is that there are exposed snaps on the inside of the diaper, against baby's skin. Snap down refers to multiple rows of snaps on the front of the diaper that allow you to snap down the front of the diaper to different size settings. Fold down refers to row of snaps on the waist that face the inside of the diaper. You simply fold down the top of the diaper to the correct height and use the inside snaps to close it.

I sewed the Fitted diaper version with snap down rise. My middle son is almost 3 years old and weighs 31 lbs. to give you an idea about the fit of the diaper. The fitted is meant to be worn with a diaper cover. The pattern is definitely a beginner as far as structure and construction. The reason I rated the overall pattern as advanced is because most new seamstresses would not be familiar with KAM snaps or a snap press. Installing KAM snaps takes practice to strike the center head correctly. If the snaps aren’t aligned properly the snaps will not snap together correctly. Once you master the skill, this pattern will be super easy for you.

Don’t forget to post your creations in our Facebook group!

Until next time….

Denita

“It’s not about the sewing...oh, yes it is!”